Exploring the Parsha

Toil seems to be the diametric opposite of pleasure. And yet when we plumb the depths of what Ameilus b'Torah is all about, we will be quite surprised to find, that the pleasure of toiling in the Torah is unmatched.

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After the Jewish People were denied straw to make the bricks for the Egyptian storehouses, their impossible situation became even more difficult. A distraught Moshe Rabbeinu came to Hashem and asked, "Why are you doing such a bad thing to your people?" And because of this question, Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu was denied entry into Eretz Yisroel.
But how could Moshe Rabbeinu the only man in history who spoke directly with Hashem, the one upon whom Hashem is the biggest "maamin" ask such a question? It makes no sense!

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On the surface, at least, getting drunk on Purim is not only part of the simcha of the day but certainly enhances it as well. What would the day look like if we all remained sober?
However, it doesn't take much thought to realize that drinking to the point of "Ad d'lo Yada" seems to contradict the entire intention of the Torah! Living a life of Avodas Hashem requires us to be fully mindful and maximize the cognitive powers that The Ribono Shel Olam has endowed us with.
If so, how could Chazal give us a mitzvas hayom to reach a state where we are literally wasted?
When we probe deeper into this mitzvah, aside from answering this question we will gain valuable insight into a unique opportunity that Purim offers unavailable to us the rest of the year!

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The Torah speaks extensively of the necessity and supreme value of forgiveness.
If so, how can we understand Yosef HaTzaddik's response to his brothers in this week's sedra? They were frightened after their father's death, that he would take advantage of this propitious moment to take his long-awaited, highly-justified revenge. And he hardly seemed to assuage their fears. Yet when we deeply probe Yosef's response, we discover how compassionate he was and something essential about ourselves.

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When we light the menora on Chanuka we are all familiar with the "parsumi nisa" of those lights shining bright for all to see. What a tremendous z'chus for us to publicize the miracle and recognize Hashem's complete dominion over "nature" and His endless love for us!
However, there is another dimension to those lights with which we are perhaps less familiar. And it behooves us to learn about it and its potential transformative powers for all of us. Listen to this podcast to find out what that is!

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